Time's Up
by Twilight016
Summary: Sequel to Second Chances: Damon and Gwen have been traveling the world for six years, staying clear of Mystic Falls. They're forced to return home when old enemies resurface and are after the Salvatore brothers and have a deathly vendetta against Gwen. Warning: Major character death but happy-ish ending. DamonXOC Steroline
1. Chapter 1

**Warnings and Author note: This story will have major character death. It is also a sequel to my other TVD fic, _Second Chances_. You probably don't have to read it to follow this one, but it may help or you may like it. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Gwen shut the door tightly behind her, muttering a spell to keep it locked as she hurried down the narrow hotel hallway. She didn't have a lot of time, maybe a few hours at most. He'd wake up and break out of the room, and Gwen needed to be miles away when he did.

The stairs helped her escape unnoticed by the staff and any night-owl guests that might have been roaming the halls. The cab she'd called was waiting for her just outside the main entrance. Wrenching open door, she quickly slid into the back seat and asked the driver to take her to the airport.

Gwen dug through her bag for her cell phone, which had annoyingly fallen to the bottom of the bag. Praying her friend answered quickly, she impatiently bounced her legs as she listened to the shrill, electric tone. Her call was answered after the sixth ring.

"Gwen?" a confused voice asked from the other end.

"Hi, Caroline," Gwen answered, trying to sound calm and not draw the driver's attention. She really didn't want him to remember her, and a freaked out girl at two in the morning could be on just the wrong side of memorable. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Uh, no," Caroline said, still sounding confused. "Is everything all right? Isn't it the middle of the night in London?"

"Yeah, I'm on my way to the airport because no," she paused, taking a moment to collect herself, "no, everything is not all right."

"What happened? Tell me everything."

Gwen felt a small smile break out despite her panic. Caroline was such the mother hen. It was amazing how quickly she'd gone from sounding confused and cautious to concerned and ready to act.

"I can't say too much right now, but Katherine and Elena have teamed up…. They want their boyfriends back."

After a few seconds of silence Caroline said, in a very un-Caroline manner, "Are you fucking kidding me?! It's been — what? — six years? I'm planning a wedding _to Stefan_. Plus, you and Damon have been, _technically,_ married for the last two years! Even if you were both drunk and no one was invited," she added in a grumble.

Gwen rolled her eyes. She and Caroline had become good friends over the years, and Caroline had yet to let go that Gwen and Damon hadn't had a proper wedding.

"Focus."

"Right. When do you get here?"

"I have a connecting flight in New York, and should get to Richmond around noon. I can be in Mystic Falls by two."

"Gwen," Caroline started hesitantly after picking up on Gwen's exclusive use of "I." "Where's Damon?"

Gwen's breath caught as she remembered what she'd done only a few minutes ago. She knew she shouldn't, but she felt beyond guilty. She had promised to never use her magic like that; but then, he'd made and broken some promises too.

"He's, uh, incapacitated for the next few hours," Gwen said, choosing her words carefully. However, the cab driver was much more interested in his conversation than hers. Still, she dropped her voice as she continued. "I don't know how, but Katherine and Elena were able to compel him. He…he tried to kill me."

"Oh, Gwen," Caroline said sympathetically.

"It's ok. Well, it's not, but I am," Gwen said quickly, fighting off the urge to cry. It was just shock and she didn't have time for that right now. "Anyway, I wanted to warn you. I'm sure they'll be on their way to Mystic Falls next. I don't think they'd leave without Damon so you have some time to prepare."

"Right," Caroline muttered, sounding far away. After a few minutes of dead silence, Gwen thought the call had dropped when Caroline suddenly said, "Change of plans."

"What?"

"Stefan and I will get you in Richmond. They'll expect us all to be here and we shouldn't be. I think I know of a place we can go that they won't think of, at least not right away. Is there anything I can pick up for you?"

"Not that I can think of," Gwen said, relaxing now that someone else was involved and taking control.

"Text me if you think of anything," Caroline instructed, already in full planning mode. "I'll call Bonnie and see if she's heard of anything like this before — outside of Klaus and his family of course."

"Thanks, Caroline," Gwen said quietly.

"It'll be ok," Caroline reassured gently. "We've dealt with crazier things before. Hell, we've dealt with our friends turning on us. It'll all work out."

"I hope so," Gwen sighed. "I have to go, I'm almost at the airport. See you in a bit."

"Bye, and get some rest."

"I guess I should start packing then?" Stefan asked, already pushing himself out of bed.

"Yep," Caroline sighed as she followed. "God, I can't believe they're really doing this. I know Elena's not been a great friend these last few years, but this is a new low — even for her."

Stefan remained quiet as he got their suitcases and allowed Caroline to vent. Their lives had been quiet for years. There hadn't been anything coming after them or out to destroy the town. Everyone had moved on and was leading happy, healthy lives. The worst thing that had happened was Liz Forbes dying during Caroline's sophomore year at Whitmore. Not that Liz's death hadn't been awful, it had been. It just hadn't been an apocalypse-level disaster. Katherine was always up to something, but Stefan was just as confused as Caroline concerning Elena's role. Last he'd heard (from Caroline) was that she was enjoying medical school in southern California.

"We should pack as much of our wedding stuff as possible," Caroline said, breaking through Stefan's thoughts. "I do _not_ want to leave any of that behind. Who knows what Katherine and Elena might do."

Stefan nodded and went to grab another suitcase. When he came back, Caroline was standing still and staring blankly out the window.

"Caroline?" he prompted, setting the suitcase down and going over to her. She turned to him, worry etched in her face.

"He tried to kill her, Stefan," Caroline all but whispered. He pulled her to him in a comforting hug. Caroline and Gwen had become close. Losing her would've been like losing Bonnie.

"She's ok, she's tough," Stefan said, not sure if he was reassuring himself or Caroline. "Damon was compelled he'd never —"

Caroline pushed him away and wiped her eyes. "Don't. Not now."

"What?" Stefan asked, sincerely confused.

"Don't defend him. I know he's your brother, but you didn't hear her," Caroline explained, her hands clenching into fists as she tried to keep any tone of accusation out of her voice. "She was scared of him."

"I understand that," Stefan said slowly, making the effort to not be defensive. Damon remained a sensitive subject in their relationship. It was something they were working on, but they both had their biases that made it difficult. "But he wouldn't have done that if he'd been forced. He loves here."

Caroline bit her lip and looked away as she resumed packing. Realizing she was attempting to hide something, Stefan's brows furrowed. He had a brief internal debate over if he really wanted to know what that something was before finally asking.

"Caroline," he started hesitantly. "Has he done something like this before?"

"He hasn't tried to kill her," Caroline evaded.

"Caroline."

Sighing, she turned to look at him. "They've had their ups and downs. She's left a few times."

"What?" Stefan was completely taken aback. He and Damon talked fairly regularly, but Damon had never mentioned so much as fight between him and Gwen, let alone her leaving.

"It was usually only ever for a day or so, enough time for them to cool off," Caroline continued, a slight hint of disapproval was evident in her tone. "I'm not saying she was innocent, but Damon's Damon."

"Meaning?"

"He selfish, you know that; but he's also controlling."

"Has he hurt her before?" Stefan asked, his throat tight with anger.

"Emotionally? Many times. Physically?" Caroline shrugged. "I don't know. Gwen's never said."

"Fuck," Stefan muttered, running his fingers through his hair in a frustrated manner. "How could I not know any of this?"

This time, Caroline came over to him and wrapped him in a comforting hug. "Damon doesn't like to admit things aren't perfect, especially if everything is going well for someone else. Plus, Gwen didn't want anyone else to know. She — and I — didn't want to cause a rift between you two."

"I appreciate that," Stefan said. "I just wish I'd have known. Maybe I could've talked to him."

"Maybe you'll get that chance," Caroline said as she pulled away again. "Now, we really need to pack. Besides clothes and the wedding stuff, we'll need to bring some of the weapons with us — just to be safe."

"We're only taking one car," Stefan pointed out.

"It'll fit," Caroline said confidently. "Trust me."

Several hours later, they were sitting in the pick up lane at the Richmond airport. Stefan and Caroline should look exhausted, considering they'd been up most of the night packing, but they looked perfect thanks to their vampire stamina and an extra blood bag each. Stefan was still shocked by how much Caroline was able to get in the back of her SUV. In addition to a suitcase that held regular clothes, she had one that held their wedding clothes, another that held all her paperwork and receipts, and a third for weapons. Amazingly, there was room left over and he could see out the rear window.

Stefan nervously drummed on the steering while as Caroline chewed her thumbnail thoughtfully. They'd just finished talking to Bonnie about how Katherine and Elena could have compelled Damon. Bonnie had no idea how they'd done it. She'd even called Elijah, who swore neither he nor his siblings had seen or spoken to Katherine or Elena in years. The phone rang just as Stefan saw Gwen step through the sliding glass doors. Caroline picked up the phone while Stefan got out of the car, waving to get Gwen's attention.

Stefan felt a pang of guilt as approached the car. She was clearly exhausted, and Stefan could see hints of stress in her body language. He could also see faint bruising around her neck even though she'd tried to hide it with a scarf. Stefan pulled Gwen into a hug when she reached him, which she accepted without protest.

"It's going to be ok," Stefan soothed as he felt her sob once into his chest. "We'll fix this."

She nodded, pulling away in order to wipe her eyes. "Thanks for coming to get me."

"No problem," he said, offering a small smile. "How was your flight?"

Gwen shrugged. "Long, uncomfortable, the usual."

She climbed into the backseat as he got in the front, where Caroline was still on the phone. Caroline mouthed "hi" to Gwen as she slid in the car.

"Ok, thanks Ric. We really do appreciate your help," Caroline said sincerely. "We'll see you in a few hours."

"All good?" Stefan asked once Caroline had ended the call.

"Yep. Ric said he'd help us. Understandably, he's sending his wife and kids out of town while we're there." Handing her phone to Stefan, she said, "Here's the address. How are you doing Gwen?"

Gwen shrugged again. "About as good as expected, I guess."

Caroline nodded sympathetically.

"We'll figure it," Caroline said, echoing Stefan. Teasingly, she suggested, "You should get some sleep, you look awful."

Gwen smiled weakly, but she knew she looked awful. She felt grimy and her clothes were wrinkled and torn in places, though most people probably assumed it was "a look." Plus, there were the bruise marks on her neck that weren't so discreetly covered by a fashion scarf. She slumped down in the seat and immediately felt her eyes grow heavy. Gwen knew she should stay awake and help come up with a plan, but they really didn't know anything. She'd be more helpful if she had some rest, Gwen reasoned.

Within seconds, she'd fallen asleep.

They'd been holed up at Ric's place for almost a week and had yet to find anything helpful. Bonnie had appeared on day three with a pile of grimoires and occult books. The most she and Gwen had been able to deduce was that Katherine and Elena had a potion that enhanced their compulsion ability. However, they'd yet to find anything on how to make such a potion.

"How do think they got Damon to drink the potion?" Stefan asked over dinner.

Bonnie, Gwen, Caroline, and Stefan were crowded around Ric's kitchen table, quietly picking over their Chinese takeout after a fruitless day of research. Ric had left the day before to check on his family, but had said he'd back in a day or two. The four didn't mind. They felt bad enough for imposing on him and putting him in the middle of this when he'd worked so hard to put this life behind him.

"Easy," Bonnie said with a hint of a smile. "They slipped it into whatever he was drinking when he wasn't looking."

The others laughed in agreement. Damon's overconfidence had a habit of making him oblivious and more vulnerable than he'd ever admit.

"Maybe we don't need to know how they did it," Gwen mused.

"What do you mean?" Caroline asked between bites.

"What they're doing is basically just some form of super-compulsion, right? So really, we just need to focus on counteracting that," Gwen explained.

"The only defense against compulsion is vervain, which most vampires can't take in high doses," Bonnie pointed out.

"What if it could be worn instead of ingested? Like a charm?"

"Maybe…." Bonnie nodded thoughtfully.

"The vervain would still burn us though," Caroline said cautiously. This was their first breakthrough and she didn't want squash their hopes, but they needed to consider everything before they got too attached to an idea.

"We can work around that, I think," Bonnie said, glancing at Gwen for confirmation.

"Yeah, we can." Gwen nodded. "A charm just has to be worn, it doesn't have to have direct contact with the skin."

"Ok," Stefan said slowly, setting down his glass. "So what would you need for this to work?"

Gwen and Bonnie shared a look and then shrugged.

"Probably a bunch of herbs and we'll need to write a spell," Gwen supplied. Clearing her food containers, she continued, "But that's for tomorrow."

"But now that we have plan shouldn't we —"

"No," all three women said simultaneously.

"Bonnie and I are exhausted and need a break. And while you two aren't human, you both could use a break, too."

Stefan looked like he was about to protest, but Caroline reached out and took his hand. "One night off will be ok," she reassured him. "He's ok. We know they don't want to hurt him."

Conceding defeat, Stefan nodded. "I guess getting out of this house would be nice."

After they'd cleaned up dinner, which consisted of throwing their empty food containers in the trash and putting their glasses in the dishwasher, they all went their own ways. Caroline dragged Stefan to the movies, while Bonnie went to her room to do yoga and check in with work. Gwen decided to go for a run; it'd be a good stress relief and, hopefully, help her sleep better.

She hadn't been sleeping well on account of worrying about Damon's wellbeing and Katherine's betrayal. They may not have been "friends" exactly, but she and Katherine had helped each other out over the last few years. It stung a bit that she'd decided to work with Elena.

Needing to be aware of her surroundings, Gwen opted out of using her headphones. She still took her phone with her, but the sounds of nature and suburbia would have to be her music tonight. Gwen knew it wouldn't matter much because she'd never actually _hear_ a vampire coming, but it helped her to feel like she was doing something.

It was a cool spring night, making her run fairly comfortable. She had been running for about ten minutes, enjoy the calmness of the night, when a figure suddenly appeared in front of her. Gwen stopped abruptly. Even in the fading light she could tell it was Damon. Her confusion over how he'd found her and what she should do, caused her to hesitate a second too long. He'd closed the space between them and pinned her arms to her sides before she could make a decision.

"Let go of me, Damon," she demanded, futilely struggling against his grip. He ignored her, pulling her into a hug instead.

"It's ok, Gwen," he said. "It's me."

"That's kind of the problem," she snapped, pushing against his chest. He released her, looking hurt.

Glaring, Gwen took a step back from him. It was obvious that whatever they'd given him had worn off: He was clearly in control whereas he'd been a mindless, expressionless zombie when he'd attacked her. Even if it was it was irrational, she was still mad he'd tried to kill her. Plus, they'd been fighting before that.

"You know that wasn't me," he defended. "I'd never —"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence," Gwen interrupted. "You may not have tried to _kill me_ intentionally, but you were in full control before that. And what were you doing that had you so distracted you didn't notice them drug you?"

"Nothing happened," Damon insisted, though she saw the flash of guilt in his eyes.

Shaking her head, Gwen scoffed. "Seducing other women to feed on counts as "something," Damon."

"Seriously? We're going to have this fight again? Now?" Damon asked, his tone a mix of humor and disbelief.

Gwen felt that familiar ache in heart every time he disregarded her feelings. Apparently, he wasn't even going to pretend placate her now. She felt her eyes begin to water — from frustration or hurt or both she wasn't sure — and looked away from him. In a whisper she asked, "Did you even try to fight it?"

"Yes, of course I did!" Damon said, running his hand through his hair in frustration. "I was relieved when I woke up after you'd used your magic. I understood why you left, I just wish you hadn't."

"How could I stay? You'd just tried to kill me — on Elena's orders! Clearly she knew where I was, and I had no way to know the potion would wear off."

"I know, I know," he sighed. "I was worried. Elena and Katherine were there when I woke up, so I had to play along until I could lose them. When you weren't in Mystic Falls…. I almost lost it. I thought I'd lost you."

"How'd you figure out where we were anyway?" she asked, refusing to look at his distraught face. He was probably just playing her anyway.

"Process of elimination," he said, sounding bored. Normally he would have bragged about how intelligent and clever he was. Maybe he really was sorry. Ticking off on his fingers, she continued, "You weren't at the boardinghouse, you weren't at my cabin, and you weren't at the beach house. After that, I made a list of everyone I knew you, Caroline, and my brother knew who was close by. Ric was the only option."

"So Elena and Katherine won't be far behind," Gwen sighed. She and Bonnie better get started on the charms.

"Probably, but not until they realize I've sent them on a wild goose chase."

Gwen turned to look at him, an eyebrow raised in question.

"I, uh, gave them some false info about where you would go. I slipped off the plane at the last minute and came to find you. I also left some "clues" at the boardinghouse. Gwen, I _am_ sorry about everything."

"Let's just go back to the house." Gwen couldn't forgive him — not right now at least. There was so much they had to work through, but they had to focus on Katherine and Elena and their annoying obsession with the Salvatore brothers.

"No, wait," he said, stopping her movement by lightly grabbing wrist. "I mean it. I'm sorry for all the fights, for being insensitive and controlling, for feeding, for almost killing you…. I'm just sorry."

Sighing, she pulled her arm from his grasp and said, "The house is this way."

Towel-drying her hair, Gwen walked into her bedroom to find Damon sprawled across the bed. She was already regretting calling Ric and having him invite Damon into the house. Gwen was pretty sure Ric was regretting it, too.

"Caroline said she and Stefan will be home soon," she said, walking past him to sit on the desk chair.

"You could've let them finish their date," Damon said, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"Well they can have more dates as soon as we figure out this Elena-Katherine mess."

Angling himself in her direction, he asked, "Will we?"

"What do you mean?" Gwen asked, becoming very interested in her phone.

"You know what I mean."

Sighing, she placed her phone facedown on the desk. He just never knew when to let things go. "I don't know. It's one thing for you to say you're sorry, but it's another for you to actually change. And a lot would have to change. Things haven't been good between us in a while."

Damon clenched his jaw and looked away from her — at least he wasn't denying it. Gwen chanced looking at him. She never thought she'd be in this situation. In fact, Gwen had always claimed she would leave if a guy every treated her the way Damon had over the last few years. But she'd stayed and, even after everything, still wasn't able to walk away from him.

"I want to make this work," Damon said resolutely. He scooted across the bed, so that they were face-to-face. "Do you?"

Gwen was taken aback. She hadn't been expecting him to ask what she wanted. Their conversations were usually framed by what _he_ wanted. Hesitantly, Gwen nodded her head. "I want this to work, too."

Relief spread across his features, leaving a hint of a smile across his face. Gwen wanted to reach out to him, but they heard the door open downstairs and the moment was gone.

"We're back!" Caroline shouted up the stairs.

"Coming!" Gwen called back, dropping her gaze.

She lead the way downstairs and to the living room where the others were waiting. The conversation trailed off when they entered the room, the other three warily eying Damon.

"Well don't everyone rush to welcome me," Damon quipped.

"Hello, Damon. Try to kill anyone lately?" Caroline asked bitingly. Under the influence or not, Caroline wasn't going to forgive him so easily.

Damon, for his credit, looked ashamed. Stefan shot her pleading look before hugging his brother. Bonnie followed Stefan's actions, managing to give Damon the warmest welcome from any of them.

"So," he said, releasing Bonnie and taking Gwen's hand. "What's the plan?"

A few days later, Gwen, Stefan, and Damon were on a grocery run. Ric had returned yesterday and Caroline wanted to repay him with a home-cooked meal. Damon and Stefan were sporting the magically amped vervain charms she and Bonnie had made the day before. They had no idea if they charms would work and hadn't had any signs of Katherine or Elena, but the girls had decided they should where them anyway.

"Are you sure we got everything?" Damon grumbled. "There's still half a store left."

"Shut up," Gwen said. "At least you'll have something besides take out for dinner."

"This is just an excuse for Caroline to try to poison me."

"Nah," Stefan chimed in, placing the few bags in the trunk. "She'd never try to kill you when there'd be witnesses."

"He has a point." Gwen smirked, opening the driver's side door. "Though if you so much as pretend to try to ruin her wedding, all bets are off and you're on your own."

Pouting, Damon shut the trunk and walked to the passenger's side. As he got in, Gwen joked, "Just don't piss her off and you have nothing to worry about."

"I'll do my best," he sighed, sounding as if it was the most difficult task in the world. Gwen supposed that, for him, it actually was. Stefan got in the backseat and they drove out of the parking lot.

Despite the looming cloud of the doppelgangers, things had been good for the last couple of days. Damon seemed to be making an actual effort to not antagonize every person that happened to be in his orbit. That made everything easier considering they were living in pretty tight quarters, but it also made Gwen hopeful. If they could get through this, then maybe she and Damon had a chance of making things better.

They considered going through a drive-through for some ice cream, but ultimately decided to just head back to Ric's. Caroline had the food would take a bit of prep time and they didn't want to inadvertently delay her plans.

As they pulled up to the house, Gwen noticed couple of black sedans parked out front. Ric wasn't expecting anyone and she didn't remember seeing them before. She shrugged it off. One of Ric's neighbors probably had guests over, nothing to be suspicious about.

The feeling returned as soon as Gwen got out of the car. She hadn't noticed from the road, but the front door was hanging from its hinges and the front window was smashed, shards of glass scattering the ground. Before she could say anything, she felt something crash into her. Her head made contact with the side of the car and she slid to the ground unconscious.

Stefan, who was closest and had seen the blur of Elena, reacted first. However, his split attention between checking on Gwen and eying Elena left him vulnerable, and Katherine was able to inject him with a syringe of vervain. He seized in pain and collapsed on the ground next to Gwen, conscious but powerless.

Damon stood a few feet away from his wife and brother and their attackers, weighing his options. He saw the destruction of the front entrance and wondered where the others were and how none of the neighbors had heard the noise.

"It's nice to see you, Damon," Elena said sweetly. "I was worried when you disappeared off the plane and weren't in Mystic Falls."

"I'm great," he said sarcastically. "Or I would be if you two didn't keep showing up."

"That's not fair. We're only trying to help you, you and Stefan," Elena defended, looking hurt. She truly was deranged. Damon briefly wondered what happened to make her snap, but pushed it away. He needed to figure out how he could out-maneuver Elena and Katherine. Two against one was what wasn't fair.

The two had closed in on him during his brief distraction. He saw they were each holding a syringe full of vervain. Grimly, he readied himself for an attack.

"It really doesn't have to be this way, Damon," Elena pleaded in her sickly sweet tone. "It'd be so much easier if you just cooperate."

"You have truly lost your mind, Elena."

She looked as if she'd been slapped, but quickly recovered. She lunged at him, and a second later Katherine came from the side. When he noticed Katherine's movement, he knew there was nothing he could do. He was using both hands to fend off Elena and her syringe. He felt the sharp prick of the needle as it pierced his side, followed by an intense burning as the vervain flooded his system. The last thing he was aware of was being thrown into the back of car.

Bonnie, Caroline, and Ric had decided to run to the liquor to get a nice bottle or two of wine for dinner. It had been a stressful few days, and they'd decided to take the night and relax.

Bonnie pulled up to the house just as Elena and Katherine got into separate black sedans and sped off in separate directions. She parked haphazardly behind Caroline's SUV, which had two open doors and a dent in the driver's side. Bonnie took in the sight of the door and window, her heart sinking. How could Elena do this?

Caroline froze while Ric went to inspect the house and make sure they hadn't done any more damage or set a trap. After allowing herself a moment of panic, she pulled out her phone and accessed the app that would let her track Stefan's phone's location. They'd set it up just for this kind of situation. She sighed in relief when the app showed his location moving north of them.

"I can track Stefan," she said triumphantly to Bonnie.

"What about Damon or Gwen?"

"Let me check." Caroline added their contact information to the app, but Stefan's dot remained the only on the screen. "No, it's not finding them."

"Let's go get Stefan then," Bonnie said decisively. "If we move fast, we may be able to find them all."

Caroline nodded in agreement, following Bonnie into the house to update Ric and grab supplies. If they were really lucky, they'd be to keep everyone alive too.


	2. Chapter 2

**Warnings and Author note: This story will have major character death. It is also a sequel to my other TVD fic, Second Chances. You probably don't have to read it to follow this one, but it may help or you may like it.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Stefan was slumped against a headstone, struggling against the vervain Katherine had injected into him. She stood a few yards away, clearly enjoying his pain.

"Fighting is pointless, Stefan," Katherine taunted as she inspected her fingernails.

"I fought your compulsion, I can fight this," Stefan grunted, attempting to slide himself up into a standing position. He saw her frown in faint light.

Glaring, she turned her attention back to him. "You won't be able to this time, not with the vervain weakening you."

"How'd you do it anyway?" Stefan asked, stalling for time while he tried to figure out an escape. "Only the Mikaelsons should be able to compel other vampires."

"For the right price, some witches will do anything," Katherine said, smugly.

"So what? You're just going to compel me into loving you? It's not real, and I've already proven that I can break the compulsion because I do love _Caroline._ "

Katherine snarled and was in front of him before he could blink, grabbing his neck and pulling him up so his face was level with hers.

"You're always so sure of yourself, but have you ever noticed how often you're wrong? Damon loves another too, and he's been compelled away from her twice now. Plus, I know you couldn't resist Klaus' compulsion to kill Elena. Neither of you are as strong as you think."

"Damon — Damon fought it," Stefan choked out.

"No," Katherine whispered, her smugness returning. "It faded, a flaw that's since been fixed."

She released him, letting him fall hard to the ground. He inhaled sharply; the feeling of his lungs burning was almost as painful as the burning in his blood.

"You know, you should be thanking me. I'm letting Caroline live; Gwen won't be so lucky."

Mid-laugh, Elena was suddenly sent flying through the cemetery. She crashed into a tree with a loud crunch and fell limply to the ground. Stefan looked up and was greeted by the best sight: Bonnie and Caroline were standing just a few feet away. Bonnie stood with her hand outstretched and glaring at Katherine's still form, while Caroline looked relieved.

"We should finish this, no more chances," Bonnie said firmly.

Caroline nodded, walking over to Katherine. He heard the sound of a stake pierce through Katherine's skin and into her heart. Stefan couldn't help the feeling of satisfaction that flowed through him. Bonnie and Caroline were at his side the next minute, helping him and half-carrying him to the car. He knew it would be awhile before the vervain wore off; the affects were still strong.

"I'm so glad we got here in time," Caroline said, kissing his cheek as they walked. "What did she do?"

"Drugged me with vervain," Stefan said, his voice low and hoarse. "Gwen's in trouble."

Caroline and Bonnie shared a look. They weren't stupid; they'd known going after Stefan meant leaving Gwen on her own. But they didn't know where Elena had taken Gwen and Damon, so they'd gone after the person they could help.

"Let's just get you to the car," Caroline said, her voice strained by the effort to remain calm. "Then we'll figure out how to help Gwen."

"Katherine didn't happen to mention where Elena had taken them, did she?" Bonnie asked, grunting a little from trying to support Stefan's weight.

But Stefan didn't respond, having finally succumbed to the pain of the vervain.

"Damn," Bonnie mumbled. "Here, take him and I'll get the door."

Caroline shifted so she could support all of Stefan's weight. Waiting for Bonnie to open the door to the backseat, she pushed his hair off of his sweaty forehead. Katherine had gone overboard with the dosage; it would take a few days for Stefan to be back to normal. Caroline hoped they'd have good news for him once he was conscious again.

"What are we going to do?" Caroline asked as she and Bonnie put Stefan in the back seat of Bonnie's SUV. "Can you use a spell?"

Caroline didn't miss the doubtful look that passed through her eyes. Grimly, Bonnie said, "I can try."

Anxiety rising, Caroline bit her lip. She went to the trunk where she knew Bonnie had some old paper maps stored.

"Here," she said, setting out the map on floor of the trunk. They might as well try; there was always the chance the potion had worn off by now. "They split up to weaken us but Elena had two captives; there's no way she got far on her own."

"Let's hope not."

Gwen woke up on a wood floor, her head throbbing. She sat up slowly and took in her surroundings. From what she could tell, she was in a run down house. The windows were boarded up, the walls were decorated with holes, and many of the wooden floor planks were missing or broken. There was a fire lit across the room in what had once been an impressive fireplace. Still squinting, she thought she saw a figure standing next to the fire.

"Damon?"

The figure didn't respond. Feeling nervous, Gwen got to her feet and inched toward the person. She was a few feet away when she confirmed the mystery figure was Damon. She sighed with relief and threw her arms around you.

"Damon, we need to go," she urged, stepping away from him. "Damon?"

"He can't hear you."

Gwen spun around to see Elena leaning against the doorframe. She looked so absurdly pleased with herself that Gwen felt a wave of fury wash over her.

"What did you do?" she demanded.

She smirked, looking more like Katherine than ever. "He's compelled to wait."

"For what?" Gwen's eyes narrowed as she kept her attention on Elena. She was trying to look for a way out without Elena catching on; though with a sinking feeling she realized Elena would not be the one she had to fight to get out.

"My command."

"So he kills me and then loves you by default, is that it?"

"Maybe not right away," she conceded arrogantly. "But he'll remember how things were before you and, eventually, we won't need the compulsion spell anymore."

"Eventually? How long are willing to wait for him to forgive you for this?"

"As long as it takes. _We_ do have forever."

"You are really messed up," Gwen said, slowly inching away from Damon.

She didn't know how to break the spell. Her only way out was to put as much distance between them as possible and try to impede his actions. However, there was the chance Elena would try to help kill her if Gwen got the upper hand. She could take them both if she had to, but it would result in at least one of their deaths.

Elena glared. "We'll see."

She snapped her fingers, causing Damon to lunge at Gwen, who reacted a second too late and ended up pinned to the floor by Damon's body. He'd hit her with so much force that the wind was knocked out of her and she lay stunned beneath, struggling to regain control. In her disoriented state, she felt him grab her hands and pin them above her head with one of his hands while his other encircled her throat. She wasn't completely helpless, but it would be difficult to control her magic if he started choking her.

"Damon, listen to me," she whispered, even though she knew Elena could still hear her. Recognition flickered through his blank gaze as he met her eyes. Feeling slightly hopeful, Gwen thought that maybe they could break the compulsion. "Listen, you don't have to do this. You can fight this."

"No," he grunted, his voice strained as he tightened his grip on her throat.

"Yes, you can," she gasped slightly. "I know you can."

His grip continued to tighten, but she could see the struggle in his face. He was in there, and he was trying to fight it. Wanting to prove she believed him, she held off on using her magic.

"Damon, please," Gwen pleaded, her voice barely a whisper. His grip loosened, just barely, for a minute, allowing Gwen a second of respite before Elena intervened.

"Damon!" she snapped, practically stomping over to them. "Kill her!"

His eyes glazed over once again as he resumed choking her. Attempting to off-balance him, Gwen struggled against his hold but it was useless. When black spots appeared in her vision, Gwen realized she couldn't wait anymore.

"Damon…."

"Shut up!" he shouted over her as he closed his eyes.

His hold loosened and she took the opportunity. Focusing all her energy on him, she sent the most powerful psychological attack she could at him. He immediately released her and clutched his head in pain as he fell backwards. Still struggling to breathe, Gwen scrambled away from him. She had just made it to her feet when Elena slammed her into a wall.

Gwen groaned. She wasn't sure how much more she could take. Her entire body ached and she was struggling to stay conscious. The earlier head injury plus near-suffocation were making it impossible for her to fight back.

"Will you just die already?!" Elena hissed, her hands closing over Gwen's throat without hesitation. Instinctively, Gwen began scratching Elena's hands and face. She knew it was useless but it was the only thing she was able to do.

Just when the world around her was fading away again, Elena was ripped away and Gwen collapsed on the floor. She heard a loud crash, which she assumed was someone going through one of the walls. Though she tried, Gwen was too tired to open her eyes. When she felt someone hovering over her, she could only manage to flinch away.

"Gwen?" Damon prompted, gently shaking her.

Cautiously, she opened her eyes. Kneeling over her was a concerned and compulsion-free Damon Salvatore. Relief flooded through her and she launched herself at him with a strength she didn't know she had. Laughing, Damon practically fell over as he caught her.

"You did it," she smiled, the pride evident in her voice. "You fought the compulsion."

"Yeah, sorry it took me a little long," he said, guiltily eyeing the already-visible bruises around her neck.

"It doesn't matter," Gwen said dismissively as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Can we please just get out of here?"

Damon nodded before kissing the top of her head. "Can you stand?"

"I think so, but help me anyway."

Gwen was thankful for the help. She was gripping both of Damon's arms to try and steady herself since the world was spinning a little.

"Maybe I should carry you?" Damon offered, his tone light and teasing.

She pretended to glare at him and was about to respond when he abruptly spun her around with his vampire speed. Gwen felt his grip tightened on as if to help steady her. When she looked up at him, she was taken aback by the shocked look on his face. Following his gaze, she looked down.

What Gwen saw was one of the worst things she'd ever seen. A hand was protruding from Damon's chest, bloody and holding a dark red heart. Time seemed to freeze as Gwen struggled to reconcile what she was seeing even as she felt her own heart fall apart. The hand released the heart and retracted, leaving Damon to fall to the floor and revealing a stunned Elena.

Rage and grief converged within Gwen and took over. Without a moment's hesitation, she raised her hand and set Elena on fire. Elena's screamed were but a whisper as Gwen let herself be controlled by her powers, intensifying the spell as much as she could. She only ended the spell when Elena stopped seizing in pain and turned into a still corpse on the ground.

Stiffly, Gwen kneeled down next Damon, who was now cold and gray. A broken sob escaped her as she looked at him realized there was nothing she could do. She didn't know of a spell that could save him, not after having his heart ripped out. Scooting away from his lifeless body, she let her grief consume her.

In the end, it was Ric who got to Gwen first. He'd called Jeremy and asked him to turn on the GPS tracker on Elena's phone. When he found her, she was an incoherent, barely-conscious mess. Quickly assessing the situation, he wrapped her in his coat and took her to the warm car where they waited for Caroline and Bonnie. He tried getting her to talk about what had happened, but she was in too much shock to respond. Ric pushed aside his own grief over the loss of his friend and Elena, and focused on taking care of Gwen.

When the others arrived, he got of the car to tell them what had happened. He was slightly relieved to discover Stefan was out of it due to a vervain dosage. They had a mess to clean up and Ric was pretty sure Gwen needed to see a doctor. They couldn't afford for Stefan to lose it, even if it would be justified.

"What happened?" Caroline asked, all hope fading as she took in Ric's expression.

Taking a deep breath, Ric explained, "Gwen's in shock so I don't know the details, but…Damon…Damon and Elena are both dead."

"No," Caroline whispered sadly at the same time Bonnie disbelievingly asked "What?"

Ric stepped in front of Bonnie as she started to go toward the house. "Don't. You don't want to see them like this."

"Like what, Ric?" Bonnie snapped, angry tears spilling down her cheeks. "What happened to them?"

"Bonnie," Caroline said gently, reaching out to comfort her friend. Bonnie stepped out of Caroline's reach, who let her hand fall uselessly to her side.

"Tell us," Bonnie demanded.

Sighing, Ric closed his eyes and tried to keep it together. Damon had been his best friend and Elena had been like family to him. This wasn't any easier for him than it was for Caroline or Bonnie.

"Damon had his heart ripped out and Elena was burned," Ric said quickly, unable to meet their eyes as he spoke. When he looked up, Caroline looked as if she would be sick and Bonnie was clutching her stomach, as if holding herself together.

"And Gwen?" Caroline asked after they stood processing in silence for a few minutes.

Ric shrugged. "We should get her to a hospital."

"Ok," Caroline said numbly. "Ok, we'll take her. What should we do about…?" Her words trailed off and gestured helplessly toward the house. Even though she and Elena had drifted apart, they had been best friends for the first seventeen years of their lives and Caroline had hoped they would reconcile one day. Her heart broke knowing they would never make up. And while there was no love lost between her and Damon, she knew Stefan and Gwen would be devastated. Her heart broke for them, too.

"I'll take care of it — them," Ric said, looking grim.

"I'll help," Bonnie said. "I can't be with Gwen right now."

"Bonnie," Caroline reprimanded slightly. "It wasn't her fault."

"I know," Bonnie cried, turning to Caroline. "But she killed Elena and I just can't be around her right now."

Caroline nodded. Bonnie and Elena had remained close over the years. Even though Bonnie knew this was all Elena's fault, she — like Caroline — was still upset over the loss of her life-long friend. In silence, they all walked to Ric's car. Caroline collected Gwen while the other two retrieved supplies from the trunk.

"We'll catch up with you in a bit," Ric said, nodding a farewell to Caroline, who returned the nod.

She led Gwen to the passenger's side since Stefan was still sprawled in the back seat. The girl was practically a puppet, which scared Caroline. She knew it was probably the shock, but seeing Gwen so unresponsive was unnerving and Caroline had no idea how to comfort her. She was about to shut the passenger door when she heard quiet whisper of "I'm sorry." She paused and looked at Gwen, who was actually meeting Caroline's gaze.

"What?" Caroline asked, hoping she could get Gwen to talk and snap her out of the shock.

"I'm sorry," Gwen repeated. "I'm sorry about Elena."

Gwen dropped her eyes and stared at her lap, a few stray tears dripping onto her hands. Caroline didn't know what to say, so she bent down and hugged Gwen, hoping to comfort her in some way. When Gwen remained still, Caroline released her and shut the door.

 _We'll get through this,_ she told herself as she walked to the driver's side. Unconsciously, Caroline decided she would be the strong one, the one to keep them all together. She knew the others would be too much of a mess, and they'd need someone to look out for them for a while. It's not that she wouldn't grieve her own losses, she would just channel into helping others.

Caroline, Stefan, and Gwen left for Mystic Falls a few days later. It was only a three or four hour drive, but it already felt like an eternity. Gwen was in the back seat, refusing to talk and avoiding looking in Stefan's direction, who was in the passenger's seat gently holding a simple urn that contained his brother's ashes.

Ric and Bonnie had decided the easiest thing to do was let the sun take care of the remains. Bonnie was holding onto Elena's until Jeremy could fly home. She and Ric would get him from the airport on their way to Mystic Falls tomorrow. Katherine was, quite literally, in the wind. Stefan had been furious with them for making these decisions without him, but had begrudgingly accepted their rational after he'd had time to calm down.

The next few days were going to be difficult. They were having small memorial services for both Damon and Elena. Caroline had already called Matt and Tyler who were back in Mystic Falls and working through her shopping list and preparing the boarding house for guests. Caroline hoped the service would give them all some closure, especially Gwen and Stefan.

"You can stay with us for as long as you like," Caroline said, trying to fill the silence.

Gwen nodded, showing that she'd heard Caroline but not really committing to anything. Stefan glanced in the rearview mirror, his grief turning to worry. Caroline had been worried about how Stefan would handle Damon's death since his usual MO was to self-destruct, but he'd kept together so far. Instead, he seemed to be focusing on taking care of Gwen; something Caroline figured Stefan felt he owed his brother.

Caroline was grateful he had a distraction; so far their only fight had been about the wedding. It was still a few months away, but she'd offered to postpone it in case Stefan needed time. However, he'd been adamant that they hold it as originally planned. They'd been planning the wedding for a year, and Stefan couldn't do that to Caroline. She deserved to have the wedding they'd planned; they both did.

"We mean it, Gwen," Stefan said, still looking at her through the rearview mirror. "We want you to stay."

Pulling her attention from the passing landscape, she met Stefan's gaze through the mirror. "I'm not going to disappear or something, I have no where to go. I'll stay until I have things figured out."

Stefan was going to respond, but was stopped by Caroline placing a hand on his arm. He closed his mouth, accepting Gwen's decision. They couldn't make her stay, especially if she didn't want to. He wasn't sure if living at the boarding house would be difficult for her. Gwen and Damon hadn't spent any time there. Stefan could think of maybe four visits in the last six years. He figured she'd be all right as long as she didn't stay in Damon's old room. Caroline agreed and had already picked a room for Gwen.

"No rush," Caroline said with a gentle smile. Gwen shrugged, returning to staring out the window. Sighing, Stefan glanced at the urn in his lap and silently cursed his brother.

The best way to sum up the next week was that it was interesting. Caroline, who was the only one capable of planning anything when they returned to Mystic Falls, decided against having a joint memorial for Elena and Damon. She knew there'd be some tension between Gwen and Jeremy (and Bonnie), and she wanted to avoid as many confrontations as possible.

They ended up only being all together a few times that weekend, and Gwen often disappeared to her room if they congregated at the boarding house or wandered the grounds when at the Lockwood Mansion. To Caroline's relief, there were only a few heated exchanges between Gwen and Jeremy. After the second one, Jeremy had come inside looking so confused that he'd easily agreed to Stefan's re quest for Jeremy to leave Gwen alone.

Once everyone had left for the night, Caroline went up to check on Gwen. She found Gwen sitting on the window seat in her room. She looked almost serene starring out into the night. Caroline hesitated but knocked anyway. She'd let Gwen have her space, but it was time for them to talk.

"Hey," Caroline said gently as she crossed the room to sit by Gwen. "What happened tonight?"

Gwen shrugged, looking a little guilty. "I don't know. I just lost it. None of this is easy, you know?"

Caroline nodded.

"I mean not only am I the outsider here, but I also killed Elena. It's not like I wanted to kill her, and everyone seems to be ignoring that this whole situation is kind of her fault —" Gwen cut off mid-rant and sent an apologetic look to Caroline. "Sorry, I know she was your friend."

"She was, but you're right," Caroline conceded. "She's, in part, responsible for what's happened. It's just easy for some of them to be mad at you right now so they can grieve her. I know it's not fair. If it helps, Stefan and I don't blame you."

"Thanks," Gwen sighed. "I just… I have no idea what to do. Damon always had a plan, some adventure for us to go on next. I always went along with it because I figured I could only do this while I was young. Might as well, right? I can't remember the last time I made plans besides what hotel to stay at or what to do next. And now," she shrugged, feeling helpless and stupid. "Now I need to plan my life."

Caroline wrapped Gwen in a comforting hug. "We'll help, me and Stefan. You're not alone."

"Thanks," Gwen said, sniffling.

"Were you planning to turn?" Caroline asked, unable to override her curiosity. Gwen pulled away, wiping her eyes.

"I don't know. Maybe?" she shrugged. "We'd talked about it, but I kept pushing it off or we'd have a fight…. It never felt right."

"You should get some sleep," Caroline suggested after they sat in a companionable silence for a while. "Tomorrow's a new day."

Over the next few months, Gwen slowly became herself again. The first few weeks, when she felt the most lost and mournful, were the toughest. She'd be doing ok and then start crying or withdraw for no reason. She was sure her mood swings were annoying, which only made her feel guiltier. As a way to distract herself and be useful, Gwen started helping Caroline with her wedding.

Caroline was thrilled for the help. Stefan had been nothing but indulgent concerning her wants, only reigning her in if things were getting too big or she was stressing too much, but he had been fairly hands-off concerning the actual plans. Bonnie, who didn't live in Mystic Falls, had been a little distant lately. Caroline acted like it didn't bother her, but Gwen noticed they avoided mentioning anything related to the maid-of-honor.

"Don't be ridiculous," Caroline responded, looking like Gwen was insane when she suggested she not be at the wedding. "You're Stefan's family and standing up with him, of course you'll be there!"

"I don't want to ruin your day," Gwen stated, sorting through the RSVP's. "If my presence going to cause problems —"

"No," Caroline interrupted, sending Gwen a stern look over her own pile of RSVP's. "It won't. Bonnie has sworn she'll be there, and that's that."

Knowing it was pointless to argue, Gwen let the matter drop. "You know, I think you should have been an event planner."

"There's always time," Caroline beamed, looking pleased with her work. The formal dining table was buried under all-things wedding, including sample cloths for linens, centerpiece mock-ups (Caroline was still deciding between three different ones), and a seating arrangement board was waiting for the RSVPs to be figured out. She even had 'Thank You" card samples scattered somewhere.

"Always time for what?" Stefan asked as he set down a tray of snacks on a mostly clear spot next to them.

"For me to switch careers. How'd you like it if I were a full-time event planner?"

"I think there'd be more trips to the liquor store," Stefan quipped, quickly jumping out of Caroline's reach as she swatted at him.

"It's not been that bad," Caroline said defensively, though she was smiling.

"I'd say it's been like a Miss Mystic Falls pageant, prom, and two decade dances all rolled into one," Stefan teased.

Setting aside her current pile of RSVPs, Caroline pretended to look offended. "We don't have to have a nice wedding. We can go to the courthouse and start off our marriage with a cold, impersonal ceremony."

Chuckling, Stefan held up his hands in mock surrender. "I'd never want to start our marriage off under such dark circumstances. Please do whatever you can to make sure that doesn't happen.

"You're awful," Caroline said, laughing.

They were so busy making eyes at each other that they didn't notice Gwen slip away. Thankfully, she'd left her purse and keys in the sitting room, making it even easier to escape. Gwen knew what that look led to, and she did everything in her power to not be home during their loud amorous activities. She'd even gone as far as to sound proof her room. It was a little awkward at times, but it was their house and the wedding was only a month a way. They were happy and excited about their future.

Pulling out of the driveway, she began the familiar route to the cemetery. Gwen visited the Salvatore family crypt at least once a week, sometimes twice. She knew it was a little a weird, especially since it had been almost three months since Damon's death, but it was something she needed to do.

Walking back to the Salvatore family crypt, Gwen was reminded of her initial visit to Mystic Falls on her search for her past self's grave. For the nth time, she wondered how the last few years would have gone if she hadn't run into Damon that night. Would he still be alive? Would she? Shaking her head, Gwen stopped that trail of thought. She couldn't think about the "what ifs" anymore.

She stopped outside of the crypt. She hadn't gone inside since they'd placed his ashes there. It was creepy enough how often she came here; she didn't need to actually hang out inside. Thankfully, it was a sunny and warm day, somehow making the whole outing less pathetic.

Shoving her hands in her pockets, she said, "I'm back. Shocking, I know." Gwen always felt stupid doing this, but it sort of helped. "So I, uh, I finally heard back from Ric. He was able to get me the teaching assistant position at his college. I'll still have to take out loans, but I get pay and a tuition reduction. Not that I really need it, given the inheritance you apparently left me. Still, it'll be nice to work, be busy. I definitely need less time with my thoughts."

Toeing the dirt, she paused and felt overwhelming and irrational guilt over what she was about to say. Taking a deep breaking, she continued, "I won't be stopping by as much anymore. The wedding's in a couple of weeks and Caroline's keeping me pretty busy. I'm leaving after the ceremony. Stefan and Caroline really don't need to be looking after me anymore and I'd like some time for myself before starting classes. So this is kind of 'good-bye,' if that's even possible."

Sighing, Gwen rolled her eyes at herself. This was all so ridiculous, but it would supposedly give her closure. "Anyway, good-bye."

To no one's surprise, Caroline and Stefan's wedding was breathtakingly beautiful. Many were calling the event of year — for Mystic Falls of course. However, a few papers for the larger nearby towns ended up featuring it in their own wedding sections. It was nice, almost reassuring, to see them so happy. After many promises to stay in touch, she finally managed to get Stefan and Caroline in the limo and off to the airport on time, feeling a little sad to see them go.

She, Bonnie, and Matt stayed behind to help clean up the venue and take the gifts back to boarding house. When they were all done, Gwen locked the door and handed the spare set of keys to Bonnie, who would be house sitting while the newlyweds were on their honeymoon.

"Are you sure you need to leave now?" Bonnie asked, sliding the keys into her pocket. "It's late. You could stay at my place and leave in the morning?"

"Thanks, but I'll be fine," Gwen reassured her. "It's a long drive; I want to get as far as I can before stopping."

Bonnie nodded, a look of understanding on her face. They shared an awkward hug good-bye. The two weren't best friends, and Gwen wasn't sure they ever would be, but Bonnie seemed to have forgiven Gwen.

Gwen paused to collect herself after sliding into the driver's seat of her SUV. She was suddenly feeling extremely emotional and she couldn't cry and drive, especially in the dark. The feeling passed, and she started the car. Taking one last look at the house, she took a deep breath and backed out of the driveway. With a new sense of purpose, she pulled out onto the main road and drove out of Mystic Falls.

 **A/N: Sorry(ish). This fic was rage-induced reaction to the series finale. I truly hated it and needed to "fix it" for myself. Reviews appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 3: AN

Hello!

Just a quick self-promo: If anyone is looking for Gwen/Damon, you should check out my new story: Imperfectly Bound.

Kthanksbye

~Twilight016


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